Guide to Requesting Records or Information

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552, generally provides that any person has a right of access to federal agency records, unless the records (or any portion of the records) are protected from disclosure by one of FOIA's nine exemptions or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions.

The submission of a FOIA request is required to obtain nonpublic records. If you cannot locate the records or information you seek on the Board's web site, you may wish to file a FOIA request (making a request).

You can find an overview of the Federal Reserve System in The Federal Reserve System: Purposes & Functions, which the Board publishes. Additionally, information about the Federal Reserve System as well as general guidance to consumers on matters related to the Board's activities can be found at brochures. For information from other federal banking regulators, you may want to search the following websites: